During the month of May we are celebrating the U.S. Bicycle Route System and this week we’re focusing on accomplishments for bicycle travel and tourism in national and state parks. These top 5 success stories highlight the innovative ways that national parks are working to welcome and accommodate bicyclists.

Last Friday we kicked off our 6th Annual Build It. Bike It. Be a Part of It. campaign and the beginning of National Bike Month by previewing what’s to come: the latest news on our efforts to grow the U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) to 10,000 miles (and more!), chances to win incredible giveaways, and inspirational stories and photos of creating and cycling what will become the largest official bicycle network on the planet!

Bikecentennial set the course for Barb Samsoe’s life. She met her husband, Bill, “one of the best people” she will ever meet, during her trip. They now live in Missoula and have been married for 37 years. “It was the most important event of my life, no question about it,” Barb says. To stay in touch with Adventure Cycling about the 40th anniversary celebration please fill out this form.

While I enjoy the peace and quiet that comes with cycling on the open road, I do like to have music along with me on bike tours. Here are a couple products we've had fly through the office that are great for tuning into your bicycle touring soundtrack.

Adventure Cycling offers specific memberships tailored specially for your local bike club and neighborhood bike shop. Local clubs and shops are key players in getting more folks on bicycles and we want to support them in that effort. We offer benefits that help bike shops and clubs connect with our members, stay informed about what's new in bike touring, and share their knowledge with the cycling community.

So you’re starting to put together that next bike tour. You’ve loaded and unloaded everything multiple times. Always trying to streamline your gear. It seems that everything packs well except for that sleeping bag. It’s big, bulky and you bought it years ago trying the get the best bang for your buck by purchasing a bag designed for 3 seasons. You’ve always wanted down but what if it gets wet? No good, right? Well, look no further. Kelty’s DriDown is the solution in its down sleeping bags.

Last week we sent out an unusual alert about pending rumble strip applications on the Northern Tier and TransAm cycling routes. Based on your feedback, we are clarifying our message to "Wrong Way on Rumble Strips." While we fully understand the value and importance of rumble strips, these proposed rumble strips could force cyclists into high speed travel lanes with trucks and other motor traffic. We look forward to hearing from the Montana Department of Transportation but until we do, please keep contacting them.

It all started in the summer of 1976: A 4,250-mile TransAmerican bicycle ride with over 4,100 cyclists called Bikecentennial 76. The event paved the way for bicycle travel in the United States and set the foundation for what is today known as Adventure Cycling Association. Are you part of that history? Do you want to participate in the next 40 years?

Many state Departments of Transportation use rumble strips as a way to improve safety on highways with high numbers of run-off-the-road crashes. Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is in the process of updating their rumble strip guidance policy, and while they are working with us and Bike Walk Montana to ensure that bicyclists are represented, when it comes to actual implementation of rumble strips they are not taking cyclists’ needs and safety into account.

A third of 2015 is already behind us, but the months ahead hold some of the best riding conditions. Warm days, cool evenings, and clean roads; I always know that good weather is here when I see the street sweepers out, cleaning up the mess winter left behind!

Any time I'm planning out a trip, regardless of location or distance, the very first thing I do is break into an Excel spreadsheet. Keeping things organized in my head has never been one of my stronger suits, so I need to get it all down on a list before something else grabs my attention. Lists also give me a little more confidence going into a tour as reassurance that the things I've planned for have been taken care of.

While you may not acknowledge it, deep down you know it to be true. At some point it's going to rain on your bicycle tour. When it happens, the good news is that you have a choice on how you deal with it. Here are some options I've put into action when handling a rainy day.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Joel and Patti Meier on the phone. Joel was the founding President of the Bikecentennial Board of Directors. He reflects on Bikecentennial by saying, "It was one of the most exciting things I've been involved in during my professional career." To stay in touch with Adventure Cycling about the 40th anniversary celebration please fill out this form.

SealSkinz have mostly been known for their waterproof socks and gloves. Being a company that specializes in technical protection for the extremities, they now have a cycling summer glove. For years, Adventure Cycling Cyclosource has carried the Sealskinz brand. This year I’m excited that we’ve brought on the glove made for the miles.

Besides all the nostalgia and scenery encompassed by Bicycle Route 66, another of my favorite features of this route are the multiple entry and exit points. While the main route beginning and endpoints of Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California are well covered by convenient entry points of, there are many others scattered at reasonable distances all along Bicycle Route 66.